Best Served Cold
by desertalpha
Summary: River is a vampire who witnessed the brutal murder of her parents in the early 1900s. She comes to Mystic Falls in search of revenge, as she has finally found the ripper who tore her life to shreds; Stefan Salvatore. But it doesn't take long for her to realize there may be some obstacles in her way, it wouldn't be the clean revenge she had carefully planned for years; Stefan isn't.
1. 1913: The Beginning of the End

It was 1913, and I was just eight years old. We lived in Savannah, Georgia, a town where everyone knew everyone. My Mamma always used to say Savannah was a big city with a small-town heart. It was everything a perfect southern town needed, lots of big fancy parties and big brick buildings and even a side of town that wasn't so nice. We lived right down the street from my nana- my moms mom- and every Sunday after church I was allowed to go to Nana's house and eat cakes or watch her talk to the other old ladies from church, and sometimes even make lemonade and sell it outside on the corner for a penny.

Today was one of those days, so I didn't start walking home until we had packed everything up and Nana had slipped a cookie in my pocket and a kiss on my cheek. I headed out of her house and down the street towards my own, sneaking a bite of the cookie on the way. When I got to my house my mother was in the kitchen cooking while my father was entertaining a guest in the sitting room. I went to the kitchen where my mom was stirring stew over a steaming pot, I remember it like it was yesterday, my mom was wearing a blue dress with small yellow flowers and yellow heels.

Her hair was up in a messy bun; small red ringlets fell about her face and sometimes stuck against her lipstick making her blow out in a huff and push them out of her way.

"Hey little love," she said swinging her hips and smiling widely as she turned around and ruffled my hair.

"I sold lemonade today with Nana." I said smiling back and flattening my hair. My mother turned around and began stirring her big pot again. "And did you bring any money for me? I gotta feed you somehow you know."

I sneaked a bite of my cookie out of my pocket and stuffed it in my mouth when I thought she wasn't looking, "No Mama, that money's mine you know! And besides I didn't make none 'cuz only Mr. Frank came."

She turned the stove off and took out three bowls from the cupboard, "And you didn't tell Frank to pay for his lemonade?" she asked, placing the bowls on the table then pulling out a drawer of silverware before placing them on the table too.

I stuffed the last of my cookie in my mouth when she turned around to grab the napkins and brushed the crumbs off my face, "Well, first he said he had to go home to get it, then he said it was a awful long walk home and he would get mighty thirsty on the way there so he gave me this." I pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket and unfolded it just as my father walked into the kitchen.

He took it from my hand and read allowed, "I.O.U. –Frank. What do you owe Frank?" he asked taking a long drag from the cigarette in his mouth and blowing it upwards.

"Nothing Papa! He OWES me!" I said laughing.

"You and everyone else hun." My father said before turning to my mother, "Is dinner almost ready? This guy's impatient. He could really be the key to getting us on top. He's loaded."

He jabbed his finger towards the living room. My mother looked nervously in that direction then nodded, "Almost done, and I hope so, just a little loan could get us where we need to be, but lets make this quick, I don't like the way he looks at me, like hes hungry or somethin'."

She glaned nervously out of the door like the man would hear her from the living room, then turned to me, "Little Love, why don't you go up to your room and get washed up for dinner?" she said and I headed out of the kitchen, but before I could make it she grabbed my arm and said with a smile, "and tell Nana no more cookies before dinner."

I smiled at her and headed towards the bathroom to make it look like I was going to wash up, but my curiosity of the stranger was peaked and I wanted to know who was coming for dinner so I slipped into the living room when his back was turned and hid under the coffee table. He was a young looking guy, but he was dressed very fancy, fancier than some of Papa's rich friends. He was wearing a suit and shiny dress shoes. His hair was a light blonde brown color and he paced the living room back and forth for a moment, putting his hands through his hair before my father came in and offered him a smoke, he shook his head and told his father he didn't smoke.

"So about this business offer…" my dad was saying, sitting on the couch and pulling an ashtray off the table. The stranger looked aggravated and antsy, he was eyeing my father in a peculiar way, like he had almost forgotten entirely why he was standing in this living room .

"I am willing to loan you the money you need to get your company back on its feet." The stranger said quickly. He was ringing his hands as he paced.

"What-are- are you serious?" my father stood up, his face full of joy and happiness, "This is amazing- Judy get in-"

Then the strange man grabbed him and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Don't make a noise. Don't move, don't call your wife in here."

I expected my father to question him, he never liked people telling him what to do. But my father didn't, he just stood there, and the strangers eyes turned red and his veins popped out of his head as he descended on my father, he bit him in the neck and my father stood there and grew more and more pale by the second. I was too scared to move or scream or do anything but sit there in terror and shock as the strange man chewed into my fathers flesh so aggressively that my fathers head fell off his body and landed on the floor, his eyes still half open in excitement and shock. The man turned around and headed for the kitchen. Tears poured down my face, I didn't understand what was going on. I remember thinking, my father needed his head, how else would he think or smile or smoke? And how had that man done that?

I looked at my fathers lifeless eyes and whispered, "Daddy?" he didn't respond. I heard a thump in the kitchen and stayed even more still, too scared to move. I saw the man drag something from the kitchen and closed my eyes as he mulled about the living room, trying to keep my breathing low. I stayed like that until I heard the footsteps leave the living room, and I allowed myself to open my eyes. My fathers head was gone from the floor but a dark pool of blood still sat on the carpet next to me and my Sunday dress dragged through it as I left my hiding spot and stood up.

My mother and father sat next to eachother on the couch, covered in blood. "Mama?" I said shakily, walking towards them. She didn't answer.

"Papa?" I reached out and shook his shoulder gently. His head rolled off his shoulders and landed at my feet. I screamed as loud as I could.

The stranger came out from the kitchen and stood in foyer before the door to take one long look at me, his eyes were no longer red, but brown again. His face dripped with my parents blood and for a moment I saw a spark in his eyes, and thought he might do to me what he did to them. But instead he turned and left.

That was the day I vowed to find and kill the man who tore my family to shreds. No matter how long it took, I would have my revenge.


	2. Old Friend, New Enemy

After a hundred years of waiting. I finally got my chance. I arrived in Mystic Falls in the afternoon, and checked into a motel not far from the center of town. I was happy for the first time in a long time. I was finally close to my goal, he would finally pay for ruining my life. I had lost my innocence that day, and since then, I had blossomed into a sort of mechanical way of life. I was 19 when I finally found a vampire willing to turn me, if I was going to kill a vampire; I quickly learned I must become one myself to have a fighting chance. After turning, it was a matter of vampire connections. Who was in Savanna in the early 1900s? Who was ripping people to shreds and placing them back together like some sick serial feeder? That was about all it took to lead me here, filling multiple syringes with vervain in Mystic Falls and dreaming of all the ways I would torture Stefan Salvatore once I came across him. I stuffed a couple of the syringes in my purse along with some makeup and got dressed for the night. I kept at least three stakes on me at all times, two small ones at my waist and an even smaller one around my ankle where I could hide it the thickness of my military grade combat boots. I threw an extra one in my bag just in case before popping out the door and asking the hostess in the lobby of the motel where people went around here for a drink. Over the years Ive found the best place to find vampires is in a bar; either because prey is easier when alcohol is involved or because we're all alcoholics. She told me the Mystic Grill and pointed me in the right direction; I headed out, I was hoping this would be quick but after a hundred years of waiting, I figured it would take longer than the first day to do this. But that didn't stop me from fantasizing about the look in that murderers eyes when I plunged a stake through his heart. I smiled at the thought as I casually walked through the door at the Mystic Grill and over to the bar where the blonde bartender asked me what I wanted, I noted that he was kind of cute. I told him to pour me a vodka cranberry and sat down and scanned the bar for someone who looked like the man I remember so vividly from my childhood.

"You new around here?" the bartender asked cleaning a spot on the bar that I noted was already clean.

"Just passing through town." I replied taking a sip of the drink and putting it back on the counter.

"Yeah? You know anyone around here?"

"Just one person, I'm actually looking for him, maybe you could help."

He smiled, "Yeah sure, Mystic Falls is pretty small, Whats his name?"

"Stefan…Stefan Salvatore." His face changed, he knew who I was talking about, and I had sparked his curiosity.

"How do you know Stefan?" he asked lowering his eyes a bit and glancing to his left where there was a man sitting alone at the far end of the counter. The man glanced over, but looked uninterested and lowered his eyes back down into his whiskey.

"Old friend." I said with a smile, I think I could guess whats going on here.

"Well, that's his brother," he pointed to the man on the far side of the bar.

"You might want to ask him." I looked over again, the he pointed to had dark hair and light blue eyes, he was wearing a leather jacket and looking at his phone before glancing at me. I silently cursed myself for being so obvious. Now I would have to make up some over story or something. I didn't realize he had a brother and I certainly hadn't expected he would be with another vampire now I would probably have to kill both of them. No matter, I was prepared. I had been prepared for years. I looked back at the bartender, "Thank you for your help."

I said quickly before putting a 20 on the table and trying to slip out of the bar unnoticed. I made it out the door fine, but as soon as I got down the street, Stefans brother appeared in front of me.

"Hello." He said, smiling sideways and raising his eyebrows as he gave me a look up and down.

"I heard you had a question for me." I smiled back quickly and then dropped the courtesy and side stepped him.

"Well, you know I did, but then I figured, what the hell? Why not make my visit a little surprise?" he sidestepped so he was in front of me again, "hmm, you seem to be blocking my way. Maybe you should move."

I put my hand on his chest. He kept his eyes level with my own, I could tell he was trying to figure out if I was a threat to him, trying to see if I was a vampire too, or something else…

"What do you want with Stefan?" he squinted his eyes as if that might help him figure me out. I pressed hard into his chest and my hand went through his flesh until it was just under his heart. I felt it beat against my fingertips and he glanced down then up again into my eyes.

"I said- move, and don't get in my way again. Next time I will rip your heart out." I ripped my hand from his chest and pushed him out of my way before leaving him there on the sidewalk looking shooken and confused. Now my cover was blown. Not even 24 hours in Mystic Falls and the plan has already gone awry. He had more than one person protecting him, I knew it by the way the human instantly tried to cover him up when he knew I knew him. This was frustrating. I wanted this to be clean and easy. Now who knows who I would have to kill to get to Stefan. I decided to just go with the flow. Stay in Mystic Falls, lay low. Make friends. Try and get to a point where I can get Stefan alone. The one advantage I did have was that he didn't know who I was, or why I was looking for him. It would be essential to keep that a secret for the time being at least. I went back to my motel room and looked for a foreclosure I could swipe up in town since I was going to be here for a while. I finally found one that looked alright and set upon going to get it in the morning. The foreclosure was settled quickly, and I got it for a good cheap price. I moved in my one suitcase and decided to go get a drink, try and mingle and make friends. I didn't get far down the street before noticing a familiar face walking towards the Mystic Grill. I couldn't believe it, it was the person who turned me so long ago, I noticed him from behind, his walk hadn't changed a bit, he was the same man I knew and loved once. He was walking in front of me, and he was turning into the Mystic Grill just as I came up behind him.

"Nik?" I asked, instinctively putting a stray lock of my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear. He turned and looked at me for what seemed like forever before he said my name, and when he said it, he sent chills down my spine.

"River. Would you care to join me for a drink?" he smiled slowly, and I felt my knees go to jelly.

"Yes, ofcourse." He opened the door for me and we walked in together. I looked around for Stefan's brother but he wasn't there, it was practically empty except for the bartender who was the same as the day before, he eyed me cautiously when I walked in, looking from me to Nik, then back to the not dirty spot he was still cleaning on the counter. Nik and I sat at the bar again, this time keeping a fair distance from the bartender. I watched him as he watched us closely, he brought his phone out and texted someone, then came to tend to our orders.

"Klaus. What can I get you," it was less like a greeting and more like an accusation, Nik smiled anyway in that cheeky way he used to do, "Matt, good to see you too Mate, two Scotch on the rocks please."

Matt got our drinks and put them on the table.

"Now shoo, I don't want you reporting every word to your nosy friends." Nik dismissed him like he would a slave and Matt lowered his eyes but left to tend to someone on the other side of the restaurant.

"So, River. I would ask you what brings you to Mystic Falls, but I think I already know. You've finally found Stefan. You know I expected you to be here when I got here last year but I think now is better timing anyways." He picked up his glass and swished his drink around before taking a sip.

"Took me a little bit, but I made it. Ive been looking and training for a long time." I took a sip of my scotch and winced at the sting as it went down.

Nik smiled at the face I made. "I almost forgot, you've never been a fan of dark liquor."

I laughed a bit, then cut to the chase. "So where is he? I ran into his brother. Thanks for the heads up."

Nik laughed too, "I haven't seen you in… what? 75 years? Everything I told you back then was all I knew of him then."

He picked up his drink and raised his eyebrows, "People change. Hes got friends now too, he's not the Ripper I knew before."

I scoffed and drank the rest of my drink with a gulp, "A string of murders last year that fit his description say something different. People change, I'll give you that," I slammed my drink on the counter and leaned in so I was inches away from him, "But we aren't people Niklaus." He frowned a bit and drained his own drink.

"Well, you certainly haven't changed a bit." He looked me up and down with his soft blue green eyes.

"Where can I find Stefan Salvatore?" I asked.

He cleared his throat, "I need Stefan alive. For the time being."

I lowered my eyes and reached into my purse without looking, feeling for the needle of vervain, I found it and wrapped my fingers around it.

Nik was still looking me in the eyes. "Well, that's a shame Nikki," I swung my hand out of my purse and shoved it into his stomach letting the syringe leak vervain into his system, he was an original, it wouldn't do much, but it would send a message. "because I've been waiting long enough."

I let go of him and he fell to the floor, temporarily damaged.

Matt exclaimed a quick, "Hey!" but I slammed my hand on the counter and he looked my in the eyes, I compelled him quick, "You've never seen me before, I never asked for Stefan, I was not here with Nik. You've been working here alone all day. You will tell whoever you send that text to that you were mistaken."

But the kid just squinted his eyes at me and said, "You cant compel me. I drink vervain every morning."

I rolled my eyes, why was this turning out to be so difficult? I pulled the stake out of my purse with a quick movement and gave him a hard whack over the side of the head.

He fell out onto the floor, "…Well that works just as well." I said and spun around to see Stefan's brother in front of me, plunging a syringe of vervain into my stomach, he smiled as I lost consciousness and fell to the ground.


	3. The Ripper

When I came to I was locked in a cellar my hands bound with vervain ropes behind my back. They burned into my flesh as I tried to wiggle out of them, I had trained for situations such as this and whoever had tied me up had made the common mistake of tying me to a chair, which for any human, would work perfectly fine. Unfortunately for them, I was a vampire, and getting up and smashing the chair under me with a wrestling style move was always very effective. I broke my ties on a jagged piece of the chair and started to look around for a way to get out. There looked to be only two ways, one being the barred steel door which I deemed impossible to after a few very hard kicks turned no result. I noted that I still had one of my three stakes still on me, the one in my boot, as I heard someone descend the stairs. They came the door, and I recognized him instantly, out of instinct and anger and pent up emotion, I unloaded all at once, crouching to the corner of the cell close to the door, so he would have to come inside to see me. I pulled the stake out of my boot and when he came in I pounced, aiming the stake for his heart, but I was weak from vervain and I hadn't fed in two days, so I missed his heart and we toppled together on the floor for a few moments, him with a stake stuck in his side he rolled me onto my back and pushed his weight onto my hands while yelling,

"Damon!, Damon! Elena!" then pulling the stake from his side.  
He cursed when there was no reply, and laid one hand over my whole chest as he pulled the stake from his own side, groaning as he did.

"Who are you?" he asked, our faces inches apart. This was it. This was Stefan Salvatore, the man I had been hunting for 100 years, and I had failed and the next time I came to kill him it would be harder. He would know I was coming for him.

I decided to not give him the pleasure of knowing my name, and instead spat in his face. He wiped it off and grew more angry.

"How do you know me?" he grabbed the stake and pushed the tip against the place where my heart is, then said again, "How do you know me?"

I started laughing; of course he would end up killing me. I mean, I had spent my entire life looking for him, hell I had GIVEN up my human life so that I could take away his eternal one. And now I would die by his hands, just as my parents did, by all rights, should've died that night anyways, hell, maybe I did die that night. And so I laughed and laughed and waited for him to plunge the stake through my heart.

"Answer me!" he yelled, and pushed us up so his hand was over my throat and my head against the wall.

"Savannah Georgia, summer of 1913." His face relaxed a little as he studied me again.

"I don't remember." He said finally. "Why are you looking for me?"

"I don't remember." I said angrily mocking him. He put the stake to my heart again and applied pressure, "Why are you looking for me?"

"You really don't remember me? Huh? Think HARD Stefan Salvatore- or maybe I should call you Ripper", I spat after I said the name, like it was some unthinkable curse, "since that seems to be what you so fondly go by." His grip loosened a bit and I tried to wriggle free, but I was too weak.

"I don't go by that anymore. And I cant remember most of my time spent as the Ripper. I am a different man now. If I have wronged you in some way, Im sorry but-"

"Don't lie Ripper- Vampires don't change. We don't grow. We aren't human. I will tell you how I know you, not to save my own life, but so that you can know why I will haunt you for the rest of your life- alive or dead- I vow it. Now that I have found you, you will never know peace. When I was eight years old, you were invited into my home, and you ate my father in front of my eyes, " I was crying, hot tears pouring down my cheeks now. I hadn't cried since that night, always stoic and hard. Focused on revenge, and now it all poured out, years of pain, and loneliness. The disappointment my Nana faced, her slow decline after my mothers death, everything came pouring out all at once. I was shaking now and my words were contorted with pain, "th-th-then you tore his head off in f-front of me and w-went into the kitchen to tear my mother l-l-l-limb f-f-from limb. You s-stacked their bodies up after, I almost thought they were still a-a-a-alive, " the last word came out as a sob and I didn't notice his hands drop and the stake be drawn away from my heart, he was standing back, watching me, "b-b-ut w-when I tried to touch them," he took a sharp intake of breath and turned away from me to put his hands through his hair as I said the last words, "th-they fell apart I spent that night trying to put my parents back together again, my g-grandmother came in the morning and saw me, sleeping at the foot of my father, covered in blood. I spent five years in a mental hospital for the death of my parents. . I was so young, and you stood there, but you didn't kill me, and you didn't compel me. Why didn't you compel me? I could've forgotten, I could've been normal. Instead…" I trailed off, I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. "Its over, Kill me." I said, collapsing to the floor and putting my head in my hands and shaking as I cried. _I have failed. Im so sorry Mamma. Im so sorry Papa. I tried. I tried. Please forgive me._


	4. Warnings

When I looked up from my spot, Stefan was across the room, sitting on the floor staring at me blankly and holding the stake.  
"Didn't you hear me? Just do it already." I was broken, I felt like I cracked egg. Like all my insides were seeping out and being fried for the Rippers pleasure. I had pictured this moment for 100 years and it was turning out to be like the first time I had encountered Stefan. I heard someone else descend the stairs and a figure came in the doorway- Stefans brother.

"So you do know each other? I thought she was lying." He ignored the fact we were both in opposite sides of the room, but he stopped to observe the broken chair on the floor and the stake in Stefans hand. "Oh get up." He pulled Stefan to his feet and Stefan left the cellar quickly, leaving his brother and I standing alone.

"Stefan! Where are- What do I do with the girl?" he yelled up the stairs.

I heard Stefan's stoic response, "Let her go." Before I heard him leave up the stairs and close the front door of the house. Stefan's brother shrugged and helped me up.

Then moved his arms up as if to say, 'right this way' instead he said, "You look like you need a drink."

We walked to a cooler and he opened it up and tossed me a blood bag, then grabbed one for himself. "So, what were you looking for Stefan for?" he asked , sipping his bag, I sipped mine too, it was good. I felt better already and I figured there was no reason not to tell the truth  
"To kill him."

He raised his eyebrows, "Im guessing it didn't go as well as you planned?"  
I rolled my eyes and drained my bag, ""ts not over yet."

He ignored my comment and we started walking out of the cellar and upstairs. Their house was remarkable, huge with wooden panels and furniture from the 1800s.  
"So, How do you know Klaus?" he asked striding over to a table and pouring two glasses of dark liquor out of a large glass decanter. I leaned against a bannister on the far side of the room and pretended to be interested in a piece of dirt under my fingernail. He finished pouring and walked over to me, sipping his own drink and handing me mine. I took it and took a sip.  
"We've crossed paths." I replied.  
"Well aren't you vague."  
I crossed the room and drained my cup then put it down on an open surface. "I have really enjoyed our chat and all but I should get going."  
"I never caught your name." he said as I made my way towards the door.

"River. And you're Damon Salvatore." he smiled.

"Nice to meet you River," I opened the door but before I made it out he said, "and if you try to kill my brother I will rip your heart out."

I stopped and turned around, "Bring it on then." Damon raised his glass at that and I walked away from the Salvatore house.

The next day I went out and found someone who could fake documents so I could enroll in school, since that's where Stefan seemed to be spending most of his time during the day and I couldn't compel my way in since I had no idea who was on vervain and who wasn't. I hadn't seen Stefan since our encounter in his basement but braced myself as I walked onto campus and handed my paperwork over to the school administrator, explaining that I was emancipated from my parents. It didn't take long to get my schedule and the administrator called someone in to show me around school, a bubbly girl with curly blonde hair who linked her arm with my own and smiled widely in front of the administrator.  
"My name is Caroline Forbes," she began leading me from the office and down the hallway lined with lockers. When we were far enough away she removed her arm from mine and her face changed to be less gracious and welcoming.  
"I know why you're here, " she began turning to me, "and I want you to know if you kill Stefan, I will kill you. He has a lot of people that care about him and this town doesn't need another tragedy."

I smiled at her and nodded, "I will take that into consideration but theres something you should know too. I don't care what threats you throw at me, I will drive a stake through his heart if it's the last thing I do. Now, which way is room 110 Im late for class."

She looked at me angrily before pushing me against a locker, her eyes turning red from and her veins popping out of her face, "Maybe it will be the last thing you do."

"Caroline." Someone appeared behind her and pulled her off of me.

It was a boy, he was stalky, had dark hair and dark eyes. Caroline relaxed and shot me another mean look before heading away from us.  
"Jeremy Gilbert." The boy said extending his hand.

"River. River Grace." I shook his hand, "I suspect this is the part where you tell me you will kill me if I kill Stefan and all that good stuff."

"Well, no I was going to ask you if you needed help finding your class, but since we are on the subject I should mention that if you kill Stefan, there will be repercussions. Bad ones. "

"Note taken, I think I will take you up on that offer of leading me to class. "  
He smiled and we began walking down the hallway towards the room.

"So whats up with this town? Theres a lot of vampires and all the people around here are on vervain."

"There's a lot of people who know. And there's vervain in the water supply."

We stopped walking in front of a classroom, "110." He finished smiling and opening the door for me.  
"Thank you." I said before walking in.


	5. History Repeats

After school I made my way off campus and wasn't surprised to find Niklaus waiting for me across the street, arms folded over his chest his eyes watching me avoid his stare and following me as i walked passed the school and avoided Jeremy as he waved me over. I wouldn't let someone innocent get hurt because of Niklaus's over aggrovated all the time personality. I swift walked out of sight from prying teens and started walking faster, more to my vampiric abilities. Of course he followed. Popping up in front of me and grabbing my shirt at the front. He pulled me off the street and into an alley way where not so in the open, then shoved me against the brick wall of the apartment building not far from the school. He spoke to me closely, his hand applying pressure on my chest, holding me there. I made a mental note that he could easily rip my heart out in a flash in this position and swallowed a bout of fear. Instead I put on a smiling face, trying to seem cool and collected to balance out his token harsh anger.

"What did I tell you about attacking Stefan Salvatore?" He pushed me harder against the wall with every word, the last one making my head bounce off the brick behind it.

"Ouch. You told me not to, jeez, relax a little" he slammed me again.

"Stop talking all this stupid nonsense River, you drugged me and intentionally did the opposite of what I asked. I need Stefan_ ALIVE_. For a short while. Once my business is done with him, I assure you I will not hinder your revenge any further. Until then you will wait, else I shall make sure your revenge is NEVER fulfilled and ensure Stefan a long and healthy life. How would you like that love?" his accent dripped off the last word, I winced slightly at the word love coming from his lips. I couldn't resist but to go over our short lived love affair in my head, and i studied his face as if to hold onto the feeling, he looked the same, but his hair was shorter now. His eyes hid the loneliness and need for companionship, but I knew he still had a blind desire for it, even more blind than his desire for power. And I felt that if I was going to have to wait, I might as well make the time go by faster; perhaps I could help Klaus speed up the wait.

"Alright. I will give you your time." his face softened a bit and he let go of me, walking away without a word, "Wait I think we could make a great team. Plus, Im lacking on the allies side of things it seems."

He considered me for a moment, I could see him weighing his options, wondering if he could in fact trust me. "Alright Darling," he smiled again and held out his arm, I linked mine with his and we walked out of the alley and into the open. It seemed a bit more easy than it should've but I shrugged it off, after all, I cant assume to know Niklaus' intentions after all these years.

We walked to the Mystic Grill, him filing me in on the mysteries of the town as we went, and keeping me up to speed on his own life in the last 50+ years. I missed the way he spoke and I missed interaction that wasn't threats or compelling people to like me. I realized as we walked that I still had feelings for Klaus, but I wondered silently if all vampires felt a strange connection to their Sire. I knew I wasn't connected to him via a Sire Bond, but there was something there, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"I thought the rumors I was hearing about Hybrids were all made upmay have contributed a bit." I saw his eyes go from me to the back table too. And Caroline turned red before looking the other direction and muttering something about "gross' under her breath. I downed my drink and slammed it on the counter.

"Dont lie Nikki." I got up and came up behind him, putting my hands on his shoulders and bending over so my mouth was in the crook of his neck, by his ear. "It was always the sex." I said in a whisper. I felt him tense beneath me as I took my hands off and made my way across the room walking slowly, Klaus caught up with me and led me out to my surprise.

He grabbed my arm as we left and whispered frantically, "What was that all about?" I ripped my arm out of his grasp.

"I was helping you, now you won't have to worry about all those awkward 'where did you meet that girl?' questions. Plus, I got your little girlfriend jealous." we walked towards my house, not far from where we were.

"I don't need your help unless I ask for it. I call the shots. I don't understand why its so hard for you to get that." He was agitated but I could tell he wasn't really angry. "and she's not my girlfriend. She hates me." We got to the front of my house and I unlocked the door. Klaus followed me inside.

"Good thing you don't care either way right?" I said turning to him and raising my eyebrows. He frowned.

"As a matter of fact I do. Im not as emotionless as you would make me out to be, love." he says everything nonchalantly, walked around my apartment and inspecting my bare minimum of essentials. A refrigerator, a mattress on the floor, a suitcase.

"Well you could've fooled me LOVE." I adopted his accent and giggled a bit despite myself when I finished uttering the phrase and knew he would be mad as soon as it escaped my lips and he instantly came at me pushing me against the wall again with vampiric agility and power. His hand was on my chest again, and his face inches from my own.

"Are you mocking me?" he whispered.

"Yes." I replied.

"Do you have a death wish?" he asked tossing me aside so I landed on my mattress.

I stood back up and pushed him this time. He barely moved, instead he smiled.

"So what if I do?" I asked, now me inches from him. "What are you going to do Niklaus? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to rip my heart out?" I inched closer, my bosom touching his chest. He was no longer smiling but watching me strangely. " .then." i said stopping at every word and pushing him again lightly.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed, I landed with my back onto the mattress and he appeared on top of me crashing his lips into my own. He pushed my hands up above my head and covered them with his own as we kissed, him shoving his tongue into my mouth and biting my bottom lip passionately. I moaned into his mouth as he let one of his hands go free, still holding me down with the other hand, he moved up the hem of my shirt towards my chest and pushed his fingers beneath my bra. I moaned again as the tips of his fingers squeezed my nipple, soft at first and then hard.

"Nik." i said breathlessly, trying to wiggle free from beneath him.


	6. Niklaus

He ignored me and continued kissing me, his tongue dancing over my lips and behind my teeth, he moved his hand down my stomach and to the top of my pants.

"Nik," I breathed again, "s-Stop." he paused his lusty groping and our eyes met.

I couldn't help but remember the first time I met him:

It was after I had gotten out of the mental institution. I was a sixteen year old orphan, the family I did have believed I had killed my parents, so when I was released from the institution, I was homeless, jobless and believed to be mad by every person in my hometown. So I got out on the first train I could catch, just so happened, the only train that seemed to ever come to town was the one carrying the RIngling Bros Circus. It was the prohibition, and the circus was like a traveling bar. While kids and mothers were watching the clowns dance around and the trapeze artists flip across stage, the men were in the back tents, getting a stiffy, and not just the kind of stiffy that gets you drunk-if you know what I mean.

The plus side was, with all the places you traveled, you heard a lot of stories. Vampire stories, and after a year of working it was commonplace to meet a clown with a stake or two hidden in the folds of his clothes. Not to mention the girls had tons of stories of their own, most of them a stretch at best but some of them had just the right amount of flavor that I was convinced I would run into a vampire eventually, and maybe they would know the strange man who had fed on my parents.

I met Niklaus one evening when all the kids had left the Big Top Tent and the only guests left were the ones bumping uglies in the back two tents set up for this one reason. They gave the girls that worked with them Alias names, stupid things that matched random attributes to each girl, they called me Ruby because of my strawberry colored hair and they always made me dress in ridiculous tiny red outfits, shaking my ass while the men passed around a bottle of moonshine. Tonight I was working with another girl, they called her Sunshine because of her blonde hair and gold attire, we were done with the show, and I had finished my 'after show' as they call it- or tonight an old man and a fat man. When I was done with my fat man i sent him in his way and stepped out of my tent for a smoke, pulling my red robe close to my naked body and watching the other tent as a man slipped out the tent closest to me. He was young and built, his shirt loose and unbuttoned, he wiped what looked like red lipstick off of the corner of his mouth and smiled as he drunkenly stood outside the tent and looked my way. His hair was curly and blonde and hung over his ears back then, I remember thinking how sexy he was as he pulled his own cigarette and stood outside of the tent.

"Hey girl. Come back in here, Daddy isn't done yet." I heard the fat man stick his head out of the tent behind me calling out.

"Daddy had gotten all he's paid for." I replied, my eyes still on the man across from me.

The fat guy wrapped his sausage fingers around my ankle and all I could do was yelp as he yanked me down to the ground and covered my mouth with his other fat hand. He wriggled his way on top of me, his fat belly squeezing my own skinny one and I felt him hard against my leg, inching his way closer to me. I tried biting his hand but he just grunted and squeezed my face harder.

Then suddenly the man from outside the tent opposite came up behind the big man with lightening speed and tossed him sideways like he was a rag doll. Then he extended his hand and helped me up. I shakily thanked him and brushed the dirt off my robe.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded and tried to avoid his prying eye contact. "Im used to it really."

"And whats your name?" he asked when I had gathered myself a bit.

"Ruby." I said, not looking directly at him and instead at the Big Top far behind.

"Look at me Love," he moved so he was obstructing my view and he was directly in front of my line of vision. "Right here, thats it, you're too pretty to be a prostitute." I rolled my eyes and turned my head.

"If your trying to fuck me you'll have to pay first. And i don't take the money anyways, Big Joe's tent is over there." I motioned to another tent to my left.

"Easy Now. I just want a bite." he said, stepping closer.

"What?" I studied him again, there was lipstick on his shirt, a thick drop towards the center.

"A light, a match love. I know I have an accent but i didn't think it was that bad." he said with a laugh.

I handed him my book of matches and continued to watch him, something wasn't right. He thanked me lit his cigarette then sauntered away from me towards the big top, looking back every now and then at me.

The next day when everyone was packing up the tents and loading in the train I caught a glimpse of the man I saw the night before, his blue green eyes watching me as I watched some people remove the body of the girl who's tent he was in. I remembered the lipstick on his face and shirt, and wondered if anyone else had noticed him in there. He began walking into the woods and I continued to watch him from a far, debating on whether or not to follow. It seemed he was going away from the circus and the train, and following him could mean I miss the leave. I decided to take the chance and kept as quiet as I could while trailing him, always trying to keep at least 5 paces behind. He walked for an hour before reaching a place in the woods that had a large clearing, a circleish where the trees weren't as thick, then he disappeared. I waited behind a tree for a short while before stepping into the clearing myself. It seemed completely empty. The man had disappeared. I heard a loud whistle from the circus' camp meaning they would be leaving soon, twenty minutes at most, I decided I should head back. If I ran I might be able to make it before they're gone, I spun around for the jog and he was behind me.

"Ruby. The lovely whore." he smiled mischievously and decided to take another chance.

I cleared my throat, "The Mysterious Vampire. I don't think I ever caught your nameshe was a bitch anyways."

He smiled widely and draped an arm around my shoulders, "I think your time as a circus whore are through. Now what's your real name..."


	7. Small Talk

"What?" Niklaus said breathily when I didn't respond for a moment. I pushed him off of me. I couldn't handle all this touching, it brought emotions that I had long tried shutting off to bubble up to the surface. Emotions are distracting. I needed to stay true to my plan. Keep my eye on the goal.

"We should talk about what we are going to do with Stefan." I said walking away from him for the moment to my bag where i pulled out a mirror and went about fixing my hair.

"Oh come on Riv, we have all the time in the world to talk about Stefan." he watched me adjust my clothes and apply red lipstick over my lips and smack them.

"and we will have all the time in the world once Stefan is dead." I said and stood up.

"Like I said we will worry about Stefan when I say to." he sauntered over to where I was standing much like he had when we first met and put my face in his hands, "no need to rush little love," he kissed me softly now, "but since your so eager, I will tell you the first part of my plan. I need them to trust us, and thats where you come in." he dropped his hand from my face. "Stefan and I share a common goal. Silas is an old old vampire who has something we both want, a cure."

"Wait, why would you want to cure yourself?" I said slowly, knowing full well it was out of Klaus' character.

"I wouldn't. But if one of my beloved family members gets ahold of it" I was picking up my things as I walked.

"Tonight. At 8. Im picking you up for a founders party."

It wasn't a question. That was one of the things I liked and hated about Niklaus, everything was an order never a question.

"Right then, you can let yourself out." I clambered out the door quickly before it got anymore awkward than it already was and as soon as I turned around, Damon Salvatore was in front of me.

"Jesus Christ! You scared the shit out of me." I said pushing him aside and walking swiftly the opposite direction of my house.

"You look"

"No no, I didn't mean it like that, I mean every time Ive seen you up until now your so, put together and right now you looked different-"

I stopped and turned towards him.

"Look Damon, Im really not in the mood and Im not thirsty right now anyways."

He raised his eyebrows and held up his hands as if to say sorry than said, "Well, I was really wondering if your hungry, I was going to go to the next town over for a bite.

I inspected his face then thought about what Klaus had said about the cure.  
"Alright, I'll join you."  
He motioned me into his car and we hopped in.  
When we had both gotten situated he started the car and we headed out of Mystic Falls he started the real reason why he wanted to talk.

"We heard you and Klaus talking inside the bar, Are you guys like a thing?" he asked slowly.

"Its complicated. Ive known Klaus for a long time. We spent some time together in the South in the later part of the 20's and the early 30s, he helped me out of a bad situation. Whats this I hear about a cure?"

He looked at me sideways and cleared his throat, "Supposedly, theres a cure for vampirism. We're trying to get it for Elena." he kept it short and sweet.

"Niklaus told me if Elena gets the cure, he will use her as his personal hybrid making juice box. Why not just let her stay how she is? You cant honestly think that life would be better than a life as a vampire can you?"

"Its what Elena wants." Damon didn't look at me while he said it and I sensed there was something more.

"You don't want her to go back do you?" I asked as he turned off the freeway and into the small town next to Mystic Falls.

"Elena is sired to me now. She needs to be human again. Its not my decision." He sounded genuine, sad. Like he wanted nothing more than for Elena to be a vampire and be happy with him for life.

"Most of us don't get a decision Damon. She's lucky she has one. Did you choose?" It was a rather personal question for a vampire to ask another. Its always been a bit taboo amongst vampires to talk about the turn, its an intimate moment between you and the one who gave you new life, not to be openly discussed usually. But around Damon i felt comfortable, we both knew where the other stood, and we stood on opposite sides of the field. We knew that. It wasn't about double crossing each other because each knew the others goal. So it felt easy to talk openly with him, and I enjoyed it. We had a lot in common after all.

"Yes. I knew for a long time before it happened. I would drink freely from my sire. Katherine Peirce was her name; I thought it was love. I was wrong. And what about you? The Mysterious Vampire come to slaughter my brother. How was it that you turned?"

The mysterious vampire, my words coming from his mouth.

I studied him for a moment. There was an unexplainable intimacy to drinking from a vampire, he didn't seem like the type to do something like that openly. But I didn't know him well enough to judge quite yet.

"I begged to be turned for three years before he would do it."


	8. The Turn

"Three years is a long time to wait." he said as we stepped out of the car in front of a shady looking bar a town over. I lit a cigarette and walked over to his side of the car, my heels click clacking against the pavement as I exhaled a large cloud of smoke and blew it in his direction.

"He might've done it sooner if it was for love, or maybe if I hadn't begged or wanted for it as much as I did, but i was young and naive,"

He watched me curiously and I felt that his icy blue eyes bore down farther that just skin deep. "And what was it for then?"

I smiled a bit at him and threw my halfway smoked cigarette onto the floor, crunching out the cherry with the toe of my heel. "I don't think I remember a time in my life that wasn't fueled by hate Damon, hate and anger and resentment. But ultimately; it was more a series of coincidences, and perhaps a dose of bad judgement on his part…"

I watched as a drunk homeless looking man stumbled out of the bar, and tried to ignore Damon who was still using his eyes to pry into my soul.

"Klaus turned you , didn't he?" he said sounding more like he already knew the answer to his question.

I pretended to sound nonchalant as I began the story and we walked into the close to empty bar. "Niklaus was fascinated by me the moment he laid eyes on me. Its always strikes me as strange, someone who has seen so many people, who's lived so long could be drawn to someone so instantly, but he's always been like that."

Damon ordered us two scotches and we scanned the bar for a potential meal. "Sounds familiar, he's like that with the Forbes girl."

I nodded, remembering him looking at Caroline in the mystic grill. "Anyways, he was stricken, and I was looking for a vampire since I had seen Stefan kill my parents. So we traveled together, all the while me beginning for the turn, but he always had an excuse." I screwed up my face and imitated his voice, "Not today Love, we have tickets to the opera."

He was always like that, giving lavish gifts or always saying how beautiful I was. And then he would get mad, and all of that would disappear and you could see his mood change until he was someone different entirely.

Damon and I took a long drink of our Scotches and he ordered us another round. "So what convinced him to do it?"

"In the end, it wasn't either of our decisions. It just sort of…happened. I was sick, I had been for two weeks, and I was deteriorating. At first, Niklaus told me to wait it out. I think he liked the idea of me being human, or maybe he knew that once I turned I would be consumed by my drive to find and kill Stefan, either way, it wasn't until I coughed one morning and there was blood on the handkerchief that we knew I was dying. That same day he let me drink from him, and I was better within the hour. To celebrate, we went out to lunch, he kept a close eye on me, now that I think about it, I think he was scared I would try and kill myself. But I didn't need to, we weren't outside for five minutes before there was a shooting, I died instantly."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "Rough, and seemingly impossible, well I mean you were waiting for it so I guess its better that way." I shrugged, he was right, it was what I was aiming for the whole time anyways, being a vampire. "Well Im starving, lets find someone to eat…"


	9. Stefan

After we had our dinner, Damon confessed more about his own past, his own turn, him and his brothers long history of ups and downs, and mostly, the love triangle with him and Stefan's own sire, the original doppleganger Katherine. When he was done I was quiet for a moment.

"I have never met Katherine, but I have heard stories, mostly from Klaus. None of them very good to be honest"

I cleared my throat, knowing full well killing me probably wouldn't upset Niklaus too much. Our alliance was only temporary after all. "Ahh. So why haven't you killed me then?"

We turned into Mystic Falls and headed in the direction of my house. "Stefan made us all promise nobody would hurt you." he said, looking a bit agitated.

I laughed at the irony of the situation. The man who I had been hunting and planning on killing for over 100 years was now the only person really standing between me and my own death.

"He'll regret that." I said as we pulled up in front of my house. I got out of the car, "But thank you for the lovely evening, and Im sure I will see you at the party tonight."

Damon sneered at me and rolled his eyes before spinning away.

When I opened my door and walked inside there was a box in my mattress with a note attached to the top.

It said, in Niklaus's neat cursive handwriting,

"River-

I noticed you were lacking in appropriate clothing for the founders party.

I have done you the liberty of choosing this dress and will be expecting you in it by 8pm sharp.

I know you will look presentable and be on your best behavior.

Love,

Klaus."

I couldn't help but think how he sounded like he could be my father but shook off the thought as I jumped into the shower and proceeded to get ready for tonight. The dress he had given to me was beautiful, but obviously not my style. I wasn't one for dresses, but they were easy to wear and required little effort. This one was a light pink color at the top and tapered down to an even lighter color at the bottom. It was a chiffon like material with a sweetheart neckline , the top clung to my breast and waist and the bottom was flawy thank god, as it was easy to tuck some small stakes onto my upper thigh with some ribbon and have them completely concealed.

I put my makeup on and Niklaus showed up exactly when he said he would, knocking on the door and looking at me with a stupid expression when I opened it.

"What?" I said, putting my curled hair behind my ear and locking the door to my house behind me.

"You look stunning." he said.

I blushed a bit despite myself, "Don't sound so surprised." I said.

He rolled his eyes and offered me his hand. We got in the back of the town car he came in and I stared out the window while he talked.

"Tonight, I want you to talk to Stefan."

I opened my mouth to object, "No fu-"

"Ah, SHhh. I am in charge love, remember that? And Im telling you your going to be on your best behavior and your going to talk to Stefan."

I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow, it was a mistake to agree to come to this, "Maybe when hell freezes over."

He shot me a mean look,"Stop pouting it really doesn't look good on you. And you will talk to Stefan tonight, and you will tell him your starting to see the error of your hate and your going to back off your vendetta. I saw you've already gotten close with one Salvatore anyways." He didn't look at me while he said this, and I wondered if he was a little jealous of Damon.

"And Damon will never believe I just stopped hating Stefan. We talked about this today and-"

Niklaus cut me off, "Yes please enlighten me on your little outing with Damon." he sneered,I could tell he was jealous now, so I caught him up on my little adventure with Damon.

"This is all old news. It is not necessary for you to talk to Damon, he is untrusting by nature and even without your little dinner date he wouldn't believe your not still trying to kill Stefan." Niklaus sighed and rubbed his temples, "You have a great way of making bad situations worse River. If you hadn't attacked Stefan in the first place we would've had a better chance. That was your first mistake. Now your telling Damon things he shouldn't know, your mystery was the biggest edge we had. "

"The only mistake was not killing him on the first try." I said remembering my epic fail, "But your right. I should've waited until I was more prepared to attack, but I disagree about my outing with Damon, by going out with him not only have I presented myself in a non-hostile way but I gave some humanity to our case. Also, I have made the first step in integrating myself. That was no mistake."

He thought about it for a moment but didn't make a comment as we had arrived to the founders party, It was at the Lockwood house, a huge mansion that looked like it had been there for a long time. Niklaus opened the door for me and we locked arms as we walked towards the home, We were greeted at the door and invited in to the large party. It looked as if more than half the town was here, and Niklaus greeted people left and right. Elizabeth Forbes, the town sheriff was introduced to me by Niklaus and I shook her hand and excused myself to find a drink.

I grabbed two glasses of champagne and went to a corner of the party that was very inhabited, the library, there were a few people talking in some sections, but I ignored them and headed over to a place that had an empty table so I could set one champagne flute down and drink the other one. I took a large gulp out of the glass in my hand and leaned against a love seat.

"Hey." I heard a voice from behind me and turned around, it was Jeremy Gilbert.

"Hello." I said, he was in a suit and I couldn't help but note he looked very well built for a 17 year old.

"Enjoying the party?" he asked, looking me up and down as I finished the glass of champagne I was drinking.

"Oh yeah its a blast." I tried not to sound sarcastic but it came out worse than I expected.

Jeremy smiled at me weakly and grabbed two more champagne flutes off of a platter a passing waiter was carrying.

"You know, if its worth anything, I know how you feel."  
I scoffed, thinking of my impending conversation with Stefan, there was no understanding that.  
"Yeah, I bet you have to go to these things a lll the time." I finished my second glass of champagne and Jeremy handed me one of the two he was holding before taking a sip himself and shaking his head.

"I mean about seeing Stefan again. About not getting your revenge. Or at least, how it stands right now."

I studied his dark eyes for a moment, "How is it that you out of everyone understands? How could any human try and understand the intensity of vampire emotion?" I said finally.

"Well, my was aunt murdered or-sacrificed i should say- not long ago…"  
I saw Niklaus enter the far side of the room and talk to Caroline Forbes, who had stepped in a moment ago. She rolled her eyes at him and I heard him try and sweeten her up a bit.

"By who?" I asked, and he nodded to where Caroline was now accusing Niklaus of sending her true love away or something like that.

"…anyways, I don't know much about vampire emotions, but if you loved your parents as much as I loved Jenna, I can empathize with your pain. I imagine killing Klaus in 500 different ways before I eat breakfast, especially recently." he paused and glanced at his arm, then finished his champagne. "But Jenna will still be dead, and killing Klaus really won't make me feel better about it." Klaus walked towards us as Caroline left the room and Jeremy and I held eye contact for a moment before he said, "Have a good rest of your evening." and slipped out of the room as Klaus came up to me.

"Had a nice chat with the hunter?" he asked wrapping his arm around my own and leading me from the empty room and back into where the bulk of the party was.

"Hunter? Like the five?" I asked slowly, realizing i had greatly underestimated the boy.

"How do you know about the five?" he asked then before I could answer said, "You can tell me later, for now, you need to go have your chat with Stefan. I've arranged for a dance with Caroline, Damon will be dancing with Elena, and I've convinced my lovely sister to dance with your friend from the bar. Now all you have to do is be the bold yet polite young woman I know you can pretend to be and ask Stefan for a dance."  
I almost gagged at the thought.  
"Oh no way!" he increased the pressure on my arm and whispered a threat in my ear, so I yanked my arm from his grasp and walking over to the corner of the room where I had spotted Stefan sipping his drink and watching people have a good time.  
He didn't see me coming and when I stood next to him and said my "Hello," he jumped a bit and turned to me.

"River." he said, all kinds of emotion dripping off of his words. I tried not to look into his eyes as I talked to him, I pretended he was someone else, that I didn't get a flashback every time I saw him. That even though he stood before me in a proper suit, well cleaned and with a look that read as human upon his face, I still saw him as I had that night, his mouth smeared red with the blood of my parents, his eyes red to match, his teeth bared as he ripped my fathers head off. I felt my eyes well up with tears again as I heard the sickening plump of my mothers body against the kitchen floor, as I smelled their decomposing bodies after they had been there all night. My vampire senses heightened the hallucination and I felt my vision blur around him.  
"River- are you okay?" he had a hand on my shoulder and I came spinning back to reality.  
I took a deep breath. Pretend its someone else, I said to myself, repeating the words over and over and hoping beyond all hope that I would blink and he would be gone, that I would blink and I would be talking to someone else.  
"I-I w-wanted to talk t-to you." I said breathing deeply and looking at a spot on the wall right behind Stefan. He studied me for a moment silently, "Maybe we could have a dance?" I asked finally, talking fast so I didn't eat my words before I said them.

"How about we go outside? You look like you could use some fresh air." He led me out of the house and to the porch where there was a set of chairs. I took a seat and we both sat silently trying to avoid the others eye contact. I suddenly thought of how Niklaus would be mad that I had not stayed where he could easily hear our conversation but brushed it off, I would deal with that later.

We both started speaking at once, him starting with, "Look- I know it cant mean mu-"  
and me starting with, "I wanted to talk about-"  
when we both stopped, I said, "Go ahead"

"It cant mean much. But when I was in Savannah, I wasn't myself. Im sorry, I know it sounds dumb, and I know it sounds fake, but I really am sorry for what happened that night. And Im sorry for not compelling you to forget. I no longer consume human blood, Ive been eating animals for a long time now, Im less powerful but I can control my bloodlust. What you went through wasn't right, and if it wasn't for Elena I would tell you to kill me yourself to relieve your pain. But she had no one, but Damon, and Jeremy and I and I cant let her lose someone else. I suffer everyday for what I've done in the past, if I could take it back, if I could stop myself, or reverse time, if I could give you back your innocence… And now, seeing you, it brings back, it brings back everything that Ive done. Everyday since you came, it feels worse, I feel guilty for being alive. I realize the effects my actions had on the world, but never experienced firsthand how it can effect an individual. I've gone through loss, and sadness and even the dark side of falling in love, but never have I felt a sorrow or remorse as intense and all encompassing as this."

I nodded, and tried to pretend like I wasn't crying. But I couldn't even catch my breath to say anything, it was like the weight of the world bore out from within me, and everything I had done to come to the moment when I would hear this apology spun through my head. It was supposed to be different, to be spat at me before I ripped his heart out of his chest, to be lost in the gags of pain from his headless body. But it was none of this, it was heartfelt, it was moving, it was genuine, and that hurt the most. My whole body was shaking now, and my makeup was smeared all over my face. This wasn't how this was supposed to be. This wasn't the same man that killed my parents. The reality of this broke me, and I fled the party, telling Stefan to excuse me. I was not worried about Klaus or revenge or anything really.

I felt completely different.  
Like nothing at all really mattered. It was like I was on cruise control. It was like I had lost all my emotions.

I saw a teenager struggling to get into her car, and I compelled her to come with me. I ran into an old man walking down the street with a cane, and compelled him to join us, and we walked into the woods behind Tyler's house and I drained them of blood.  
I left their bodies in a shallow grave, then walked back to the party, wiping my bloody hands on the dress and leaving the blood on my mouth.  
It didn't really matter anyways, the worst they could do was kill me, and why was that so bad after all? I had only one purpose on this earth, and now that I had questioned that purpose I felt the will to live dwindle away.  
And then there was the hunger, intense and burning like a gaping hole, it ate at me, I walked back to where the cars were, and spotted a potential victim, a man with dark hair standing alone against a car talking on the phone.  
"Come here." I said walking blankly towards him. He spun around and I recognized him as Damon Salvatore.  
"Is that your blood?" he asked. I shrugged and turned away, I could smell blood around me, all around, beating in the human bodies at the party, sweet and hot.  
Stefan appeared before me then, blocking my path.  
"Thats human blood on you, I can smell it." he said softly putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Yes, not all of us can drink animal blood."

I saw Niklaus slowly walk out from behind Damon.  
"I will take her from here boys, thank you."

But Damon was already looking at me strangely, "Who did you kill?" he asked after a moment.

"Nobody. Nobody you care about at least."

Damon sped so his hand was around my neck, "You cant just waltz in here and first try and kill my brother and then kill innocents." he said angrily.

"She can do whatever I say she can do Damon." Niklaus said now pulling his arm from me, "But you cant just kill people when we already have the founders sending hunters after us."

I smiled, "I will now be doing whatever I want to do. You guys can keep playing your little games here. I am leaving Mystic Falls. Tonight. Enjoy this little cure search."

Niklaus looked confused from me to Stefan,"What did you say to her?" he asked after a second.  
Stefan held up his hands, "N-nothing, just apologized and stuff…"

"She's turned off her emotions." Niklaus said, before reaching up and breaking my neck.


	10. Mini-Vacation?

When i came to I was in a huge bed, in a lavish room decorated with all sorts of things. I opened my eyes to the sight of Niklaus standing shirtless with his back to me pouring a bag of blood into a glass. I sat up onto my hands and rubbed my temples to stop the banging.

"Good morning." he said turning around and walking over to me slowly, he sat down on the foot of the bed and handed me a glass of blood which I drank all in one gulp, licking my lips after at the sweet smooth sensation.

"Its so much better fresh." I said after a moment looking into the empty glass stained with red. He smiled a bit and took the glass from me.

"I agree, and Im not against you turning your emotions off, I don't really care either way, at least now you'll be more predictable. But with my recent lack of allies, I must insist you stay and help me get my cure."

"Insist all you want Nikki. Im leaving this podunk town." I got up out of bed and began taking off the long pink chiffon dress that I had stained with dirt and blood last night.

I noted Niklaus' eyes as they followed the delicate curves of my body. He ran across the room and roughly grabbed my face urging me to look at him. "You will not leave Mystic Falls. You will stay here and help me." I felt my urge to leave melt away and cursed myself for not building up a tolerance to vervain the moment I knew Niklaus was here. He had compelled me to stay. And stay I would.

"Now why was that you were saying love?" his hand on my chin stopped squeezing me and instead his touch was light against my skin. He looked at me for a long while.

"What?" I asked ripping my face from his hand and walking over to what I assumed was a linen closet.

"You're beautiful." he said after a moment, but I shrugged it off.

"Wheres your towels? Im covered in dried blood."

There was a time when he made me really feel beautiful, and I used to always have a compartment in my heart for Niklaus, young, naive love and all. But now I didn't have a compartment for anything, there was no drive, no feeling, no emotion. I could give two shits about Niklaus or Stefan or my parents or this stupid fucking cure. It was elating, not having to feel. I wondered why I wasn't always like this, but then again, hate is a strong emotion, and that was what drove me for so long. When I got out of the shower Niklaus told me to meet him in the living room where he had another bag of blood resting on the table.

"Eat." he ordered, pouting a bit at my indifference of him. I took the bag without hesitation and sucked it up quickly. "Now, let me fill you in on what is going to happen. You've managed to get Stefan on your side, kind of. His remorse has driven him to feel that he has some responsibility for you, this we can use to our advantage. They're friend Bonnie, the darker skinned one, she's a witch, and as you have already found out Jeremy is our hunter, by harnessing the map on Jeremy's arm we can find our way to Silas and the cure. The Salvatores have taken Jeremy and are training him at the Gilbert House on the outskirts of town. You will join them up there and provide some vampires for slaying. Also, you will try and speed up the process, the Salvatores are older than you, but you have more experience vampire hunting, you will provide a good crutch for Jeremy. I will see you in three days, I expect a considerable amount or all of the map to be visible by then. Watch out for my dear brother Kol, he seems to have been poking his head around town recently."

"Yes, Master." I said throwing the empty pouch onto the counter and walking away from Niklaus.

He put a hand on my shoulder, "Take this." and he handed me an iPhone. "I expect a call when you arrive and before you go to sleep." I rolled my eyes and pocketed the phone before grabbing my pre packed suitcase, (Niklaus had packed this, and it was bigger and considerably more heavy than my own, I wondered for a moment what exactly was inside it, but then excused the thought. It didn't really matter) before heading out for a walk to the Salvatore house. When I came up to the door, Stefan answered and immediately invited me in, apologizing for how last night ended, we walked through the foyer and into the living room where Jeremy and Damon were gathering last minute resources for the week.

"Good Morning Boys." I said and they both looked up from their packing.

"Morning River." Jeremy said with a little smile.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, zipping his bag and swinging it over one shoulder.

"Are you feeling better?" Stefan asked slowly.

"I feel…nothing." I said truthfully.

"Weren't you going to skip town or something?" Damon was clearly agitated at my appearance, probably because he had already figured why I had come.

"Ive had a change of heart. I want to see this through. More importantly Niklaus wants me to see it through." I examined a picture of Damon and Stefan on a counter, they had their arms over each others shoulders and were smiling widely. I flipped it so it was face down.

"Im not letting Klaus' baby sitter watch my every move up there. Tell him I said we made a deal, and he's just going to have to take my word for it." Damon said shaking his head and making eye contact with Jeremy.

"Jeremy, I have experience hunting vampires. I know how to track, I know how to trap, and I know how to kill them." I said, ignoring Damon's protests and preaching to Jeremy directly now.

"So do I, and we don't need two vampires up there, especially one that turned her emotions off and could care less about slaughtering people in public places." Damon raised his arms in frustration. Jeremy looked at me for a long while.

"Have your stuff ready. We leave in ten minutes." he said finally.

"What? Jer- no come on she-" Damon started, but Jeremy cut him off

"Will be of some help, and with her there we won't have to expect any unannounced visits from Klaus. Also, I have a feeling if we don't let her come, Klaus will make us anyways. So why not put the bad blood aside and work together for once."Jeremy and I made eye contact and I smiled at them before I took my stuff into Damons car.


	11. The Bitch Switch

It took about an hour to get up there and Matt's truck was in the driveway when we arrived. Damon grabbed his and Jeremy's suitcases and made it apparent he wasn't going to grab mine, so I picked it up out of the trunk and walked to the front door myself. Jeremy walked right inside, calling Matt all the while. Damon stayed at the door then attempted to go in but lingered instead.

I stood beside him and rolled my eyes. "Are you going to stand there looking dumb or are you going in?" I asked sarcastically. He scowled at me and moved aside.

"Go right ahead." I tried to walk through the door but felt the familiar restraint pulling me away from the doorway, meaning I had yet to be invited in.

"Now who looks dumb…?" he said with his trademark asshole smirk.

Jeremy returned to the doorway with Matt and took his suitcase from Damon's hands. Matt offered to take mine in and I accepted.

Damon and I lingered in the doorway awkwardly before Damon yelled into the house, "C'mon Jer-" "Oh right! You guys are welcome to come in!" Jeremy yelled from the living room.

When we all settled in, Jeremy accompanied me upstairs and showed me the room I would be staying in, it was plain as you would expect a summer home to be, and Matt had already brought the overly heavy suitcase up for me.

I hoped this trip would be as short as Niklaus told me it must be. I didn't like to be stuck, and on top of it, compelled to stay. I suddenly wondered where the border of Mystic Falls is and how close we were to it. "Whats in the big suitcase?" he asked eyeing the thing on my bed.

"I don't know, Niklaus packed it for me. Lets take a look." I opened it up and found my small collection of items and also a crossbow, equipped with a large stake, three backup huge stakes, five other stakes, 10 vials of an unidentifiable liquid, and a note written in Niklaus' curvy calligraphic handwriting.

"Wow." Jeremy said, picking up the huge crossbow and examining it in his hands.

I picked up the note,

_ 'Riv, The vials contain werewolf saliva. I will see you in three days. Call me. Love, Nik' _

I crumpled the note up and tossed it out. Jeremy watched me curiously, but didn't say anything about it. "This is werewolf saliva." I said tossing him one of the vials, he inspected it closely.

"Where'd you get it?" he asked.

"Niklaus. Who else?"

He shrugged, "Why do you call him Niklaus anyways?"

"Thats his birth name, when I met him he introduced himself to me as Niklaus, and everyone I knew called him Nik for short. I never heard anyone call him Klaus before I came here. But thats irrelevant, now, we have a lot of work to do. What your holding you may already know will slowly kill a vampire, but its not immediately effective, depending on how much is in their system it could take anywhere from a couple days to a couple hours. One of the side effects will be hunger, extreme unbearable hunger. And just because they are dying doesn't mean they aren't dangerous, at some points during their body's inevitable break down, they can be more dangerous. Do you have experience fighting hungry vampires?"

Jeremy nodded, "Yes, and I will keep that in mind when Im using it."

"Good. Now, since our time here is limited, we should start some hands on training now. Grab a stake and meet me outside in ten."

I walked out of the room and into the bathroom to splash my face with water and freshen up after the drive, then I went outside and found Damon standing with his arms crossed. "You know, originally, you weren't even supposed to be here."

I groaned loudly, "ughgughghg We've established this. But unfortunately for you I am here. So stop whining."

"Well we are BOTH training Jeremy here, and I don't want you with him by yourself especially since you flipped your bitch switch." He tried to look menacing but I wasn't intimidated, older than me or not, he's still clouded by his feelings.

"Oh, your so fucking clever." I said as Jeremy walked out and told us to stop arguing so we could begin his first lesson.


	12. Unexpected Visitor

Jeremy and Damon and I were training well into the afternoon, in the last half-hour Matt had come outside to observe and hopefully take some hints. Damon had taken over most of the guidance which consisted primarily of him attacking Jeremy; Jeremy was armed with the stake, but Damon has been avoiding death for a hundred years at least, and he didn't manage to get a scratch on him. This was expected, Jeremy was quicker than most humans, but to immortals his movement was still slow and easy to predict.  
After watching Damon push him to the ground and say "and…your dead." for the billionth time I had to step in.  
"This is ridiculous, obviously its time for a different approach." I said, giving Jeremy my hand and helping him up, he was breathless and he pulled his shirt off and wiped the sweat from his brow when he stood up, exhaling loudly.

"Maybe we should take a break." Matt said shooting Jeremy a worried expression.

"No." I said, "We're short on time, and Jeremy needs to build his stamina. You should make him something to eat, he will eat it will we train." Jeremy looked at Matt and nodded, and Matt went inside mumbling something about bossy and overworked as he went.

"Grab the stake and come at me again." Damon ordered.

"No. Ditch the wood, We're trying this my way."

Damon shot me an angry look.  
"I told you RIver, this is my deal with Klaus, your just here… for… Why are you here again?"  
I rolled my eyes.  
"Your way isn't going anywhere soon Damon, your starting too far in." Jeremy dropped the stake and Damon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms but didn't argue further.

"Where should we start then? Klaus gave us three days and we're already over half way through the first and Im no closer to killing vampires than I was." Jeremy looked downtrodden, he dropped his shirt and put his hands through his hair.

"We need to start at the beginning. Realize the basic differences between vampires and humans. Vampire Hunters have a sort of built in primal instinct full of untapped power." I started walking around Jeremy, trying to trigger his senses. "Unfortunately for you, that untapped power is detrimental to your vampire friends so you have suppressed it, which I have to point out maybe your ultimate downfall, but i digress." Damon watched me cautiously, he dropped his arms and his eyes followed me as I circled Jeremy. "Close your eyes Jeremy." Jeremy closed his eyes and I continued to pace, "When fighting anyone, vampire or no, one of the first things a teacher would tell you, is always, always be aware of your surroundings. You can utilize the things around you to get the upper hand in a battle you would normally not. If you don't have a stake, what can you use to get between you and your foe? For example, right now, at this moment, what do you have to fight me with?" Jeremy opened his eyes a bit, "Ah ah, no keep 'em shut."

I saw Jeremy blindly and slowly bend down to where the stake was when he dropped it, I raced up towards him and kicked it away before his hand grabbed it and his fingers closed around nothing.  
I tapped him on the shoulder, "You're dead."

"but my eyes were close-" Jeremy retorted, clearly frustrated. "I need a break, none of this is working."

"Stop. No whining. Close your eyes again. Utilize your surroundings, listen for me, remember, your slower than me, I expect you to be slower, your eyes are closed, I know you cant see me." I stopped talking and creeped behind him slowly, "One of your senses is dulled, use your other senses to your advantage." When i was done talking I spun over so i was in front of him and his arm shot out just in time, grabbing my sleeve as I skirted by. He threw me down on the grass, smiling widely.

Matt appeared at the doorway of the house with a sandwich on a plate, "Yeah!" he cheered as he saw me on the floor.

"Alright, short break for food." I said smiling despite myself and shooting Damon an I-told-you-so look before walking inside and grabbing a blood bag from the kitchen.

"You know your really annoying when your right." Damon appeared next to me and pulled his own bag from the fridge, "Am I supplying you with these because I wasn't aware I was sole provider over here."  
I chose to ignore him and sat down in the living room, but he followed me. "SO, you know it was really great of you to step in and stuff but I really think I can take it from-"

"Damon. Just stop. I don't want to be here any more than you want me to, but Im here, and thats that." I felt the phone Niklaus gave me in my pocket vibrate and took it out. It was him. I ignored it.

Damon fell back, "Well, since you aren't going anywhere, I will lay off." Our eyes met. I noticed how perfectly sculpted his face was, his blue eyes like daggers shooting through me, looking into me, into my soul it almost seemed.

"I could care less if you lay off. I just want this over with." I wasn't even done with the sentence when Damon's phone rang and he answered it sarcastically.

"Salvatore's Hunter Academy how can I help you?" there was a pause before his eyes fell on me again and he said, "yes she is, and yes you can." then handed me the phone.

"No phone call, no text message, and yet Ive sent you at least ten along with a handwritten note in your suitcase this morning. What is your excuse for not calling me then?" it was Niklaus.

"I was busy doing your dirty work Nikki, why else?" I said in a bored voice.

"And how is my project going love? Any new developments?"

I cleared my throat, "Well if your talking about developments in the tattoo sense of the word-no, but we did get a little father in training-"  
he cut me off,  
"Get the tattoo finished River. I don't care if you have to make 20 new vampires for the boy to kill, just get it done. Call me tomorrow." he hung up.

"In trouble?" Damon asked sipping his bag down to the last drops and standing up.

I tossed his phone to him, "Lets get back to work."

We went back outside and I did some hands on training with Jeremy, basic attack defense type of moves. He caught on quick, and soon enough he blocked all my blows with precision, once even striking me in the face, a hard fist that made a sickening flesh on flesh contact that sent Jeremy into an immediate frenzy of sorries.

"I may be a lady Jeremy but I am also a vampire. I heal." It was dark now, and Jeremy looked tired and he was getting slow.

"Head inside, we start early tomorrow." Jeremy walked ahead of Damon and I, and he passed the threshold into the house right as we heard a noise from behind us.

Damon and I spun around, "Good Evening."  
It was a tallish man with dark brown hair and a twisted small smile, he reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite put my finger on who.

"Kol." Damon said, his face stern and attentive.

Kol? That sounded familiar.

Jeremy and Matt appeared behind us in the doorway, This guy seemed dangerous, and they didn't pass the threshold into the open.

The man smiled and slowly walked towards us his arms extended wide. "So this is my brothers little girlfriend, you know I think we might've met before, years ago." he put his finger on his chin and screwed up his face like he was thinking.

I stepped forward and put my hands on my hips, "Kol Mikaelson? You're Nik's little brother aren't you?" I asked recognizing his face now, I had seen him once, unanimated and dead-like sleeping in a coffin. Years and years ago when Niklaus and I were in love, when Klaus had really opened up to me before we had split.

He smiled, "I was dead, yes? Oh but he told me about you later, the most loveliest vampire he'd ever created. Delicate old fashioned beauty, and strawberry colored hair, its got to be you." he smiled in a menacing way, "unfortunate we couldn't meet on better circumstances." I suddenly remembered Klaus' warning about Kol being back in town.

"Jeremy, Matt, stay inside. Don't invite him in. What do you want Kol?" Damon said slowly, looking from me to Kol and back.

"I want you to stop looking for the cure. Stop trying to wake up Silas." Kol said simply.

Jeremy appeared in the doorway with a stake with some sort of metal melted into it.  
"Stay away Kol." he said wielding it menacingly.

"You think Im scared of you? Ive been watching you train all day boy. Come outside with it and I will show you how much you've really learned and end your chances of finding Silas all at once. Save us both time really."  
I stepped forward.

"Kol, leave." I said. He smiled wider. "Or," he sped so he was right next to me and grabbed my arm, " I could take you with me," he yanked me so i was now on the grass with him off the steps of the house.

Damon and Jeremy both stepped forward.

"Jeremy dont fucking move," and both Damon and Jeremy stopped, Kol yanked me closer to him, "Tell Niklaus he has two days to end his little search, or she dies."

"He doesn't care about me…" I started but he yanked me again.

"He will take it as a personal offense to his authority and a threat." Kol spat, "pass the message." he shouted at them, before dragging me away.

I looked back as we walked trying to wiggle free of Kol all the while, he stopped and smacked me hard against the face. I looked back again, Damon watched us intensely. I turned around again and didn't glance back.


	13. Kol

Kol took me to the old Lockwood dungeon and kept me tied to a chair in vervain ropes, it was like being held down with barbed wire, and burned and healed and burned over and over again. He drank deeply from a blood bag as I struggled, watching me curiously.

"Ive always been fascinated with my elder brothers choice in women. They never interested me much you know," he finished the bag and tossed it across the room, "Im not gay or anything, I just never cared much for romance." he stood up, "but my brothers have always been infatuated with women, always throwing their hearts away," he was pacing around the room now as he was talking, "its funny," he stopped and put his hand on his chin, "because we always make it seem like Rebekah is the reckless lover, but really, they all have weak hearts, worn on their sleeves and given to the first pretty face who likes them back." He laughed a bit to himself then walked over to me and cupped my face in his hand. "Those eyes of yours though…I see it, I see his infatuation, you look almost like our mother, but younger and prettier. If I found a girl who looked like you, I would probably fall in love just as fast"

I lowered my eyes and spat.

"You are ugly and lonely," I said and he scowled at me.

"And your personality is just as ugly as me, I think we would go lovely together." His phone rang. "Brother," he answered and I heard Niklaus on the other end of the receiver.

"Bring her back." Niklaus said angrily.

"You will need to try harder than that, come and get her yourself, or give up on Silas." Kol replied.

"Nobody tells me what to do, especially, my younger brother. You will give her back, or you will be sorry."

Kol laughed, more like cackled, "Or you'll come dagger me? Ive spent the better half of my life in a box Niklaus, I wouldn't mind a couple more years. But you'll have to come get me first." He hung up the phone. "Now, your going to stay here, and Im going to go kill the hunter. While they're all out looking for you." He said and left up the stairs.

I cursed loudly and angrily and tried to untangle my hands from the ropes, but they were tight, and every movement burned more intensely than when I was sitting still. I screamed and screamed too, and eventually got tired of hearing my own voice echo back at me in the cell. So I gave up, and let myself drift off into an uncomfortable and restless sleep.

When I awoke again, Kol was over me. He was angry.

"You didn't kill Jeremy I take it?" I asked him with a smile as he turned my wrists face up.

"No. And shut up." he sliced my wrists and some blood poured out before it started to heal up again. He poured liquid vervain onto the soars and they burned intensely for a while then healed. It was then that he dipped a towel in the vervain and put it in my mouth. I heaved and coughed with every breath, daggers shooting into my lungs every time I inhaled.

"Not pleasant is it?" he asked smiling, "well don't worry, you'll be out of your misery soon. They don't have much time now." He looked at his watch, and suddenly I heard someone descend the stairs.

It was Damon, and Jeremy. Damon sped and began fighting Kol, But Kol was much faster, he overpowered him quickly, and flung him across the room so he hit the stone wall in a sickening crunch before crumpling to the floor. Jeremy was untying my binds but only managed one before Kol spun towards him. He was quick but I was prepared to be free and used the last once of strength in my weakened strength to trip Kol on his way to Jeremy, and he fell onto his back hard. It only took a second for Jeremy to jam the metal infused stake down into Kol's heart, coal grew gray before he died all together. And Jeremy stared at his arms strangely, as the tattoo grew on his arm, twisting and turning, this time visible to all of us.

Damon sat up and we all looked at each other for a moment silently before I said, "Lets get out of here," getting up slowly from the ground and following them up the stairs. We got up and I heard someone walk towards us, "Shit." I said, "Follow me." and went around the opposite direction they were going, around the corner of the house. It was Niklaus, he walked into the dungeon and I looked back to Damon and Jeremy.

"He'll kill us for killing him." Jeremy said worriedly.

"We did what he wanted, your mark is there, its complete." Damon whispered back, looking at me for reassurance.

"Family first, always, and forever. Its the Mikaelson motto, I think Jeremys right about this." I said, "Lets get out of here." and we turned to go back to the summer home, I heard Niklaus yell loudly as we were leaving and Damon and I made eye contact before speeding up our pace. When we got back to the house I collapsed onto the couch and closed my eyes, too ready for bed already. I think I drifted off to sleep for a while before Damon shook me awake and sat next to me, putting his fingers through his black hair and handing me a bag of blood.

"Drink. You're weak, get your strength up." I looked outside of the window, it was dark, the middle of the night.

"Jeremy and Matt are in bed, no word from Klaus, yet." Damon drank from a cup of his own.

"is that liquor?" I asked, and he nodded. "Can I have a drink or?" he smiled and got up, he poured me a drink and came back to join me.

"You know, for someone who's been through what you have, your not that bad." he said finally.

I looked at him, and took a sip, it was dark and I winced a bit as it went down, but it warmed me up and curved my hunger well. "Your not that bad either." I replied, and studied his face for a moment. He really was handsome, his pretty big blue eyes, the way they crinkled in the corner when he smiled, and his dark hair.

I caught myself staring as he looked over at me and our eyes met.


End file.
